What Child Is This?
by asearcher
Summary: Another Christmas Eve leap for Sam, this time into the life of an EMT. Enjoy! Note: reviews are ALWAYS welcome.


Disclaimer: I own nothing. I thank the creators and owners of these characters for allowing me to write fan fiction for my own and others enjoyment.

"What Child is This?"

When one was quantum leaping there were a few things that were the same every time. First, there was a moment – of an unspecific time frame – that the leaper felt disoriented. Second, there was the time of discovery. Who was he? What was he doing where he was? Finally, there was the moment Al would arrive and reconnect with his friend in the past, providing whatever support the hologram could provide.

Then there were the things that were different. Sometimes vastly so. There were times when danger was imminent and times when things were about as nice and peaceful as could be. There were times when the leap was into a life that the leaper would change and other times when he leapt into a life that would change someone else's life. Nothing could prepare the leaper for what was coming.

As Sam came to his senses this time, he looked around. He was sitting in the passenger side of a larger vehicle but what type he was unsure of as yet. Looking to his left, he realized there was no one else with him at the moment. Looking down, he could tell he was in a uniform. The medical symbol badge told him he was most likely an EMT and the patch on his arm confirmed that. "Martin Falls Emergency Services," he read quietly. So far so good. He also noted that the name badge showed his last name was Sanderson. He then rolled down the window. It was cold. He reached over to the side mirror and turned it slightly, catching his most recent reflection in the silvered surface. He was glad to confirm he was a man and estimated that he was likely in his late twenties.

It was a kind face with the beginning of crow's feet that were there because the person smiled more than not. That told Sam that the man was likely happy with his life and profession. A sudden memory of being an intern in the emergency room when he was finishing his third graduate degree, this time as an M.D. , made him realize just how stressful this position could be. There were times that he'd been able to help people. More times than not as he recalled. That had given him a spring in his heart. He suddenly frowned as he remembered the flip side when nothing he could do would save the person under his care. "Wonder what I'm here to do," he voiced softly.

"What a strange statement," came a voice from the driver's side as the door opened. "Or are you deciding to go into philosophy now?" The woman who was standing there had two coffees in a holder. Sam reached over and took the holder from her and she then pulled herself up into the cab. "Thanks," she said before settling in. "That should take the chill out of the night." She reached over and grabbed one of the cups.

Not knowing how his host would answer that, Sam took the other coffee and deflected the answer. "Um…well…you know. Sometimes you think about things like that."

"Yeah, but with you, one never knows. In the last three months you keep considering a new career path almost weekly. Let's see, counselor, minister, social worker…and then last week you went back to deciding to pursue an M.D. again. I'm going to be surprised if you decide to go the philosopher route as well?"

Sam grinned slightly with a shrug. This guy sounded like he had a problem deciding on his destiny. Not that Sam was much better. If Al hadn't hired him onto the Star Bright project, Sam might have as many as 12 or more degrees by now. Of course that would likely have meant that he wouldn't have started Quantum Leap and he wouldn't be in the predicament he was in at present. On balance he'd rather be where he was. "I guess." He took a sip of his coffee, wincing slightly at the overly sweet taste.

"What's the matter," the woman asked.

"It's a little sweet."

"I used four sugars just like always."

Ok, so his host had a sweet tooth. "Yeah, but I've been thinking of cutting back on the sugar a little."

"Oh. You should have told me."

"I should have. It's ok."

Putting her cup into the cup holder, his partner started up the ambulance. "Well, let's get back on the route." She pulled the ambulance into traffic and they drove around for awhile. Sam wondered when Al was going to get there and let him know more of the specifics about the life he'd landed in and the specifics of his leap.

"You mind if I turn on the radio?"

"No. Some music might be nice."

"Yeah, but I think I've heard every Christmas song at least ten times in the last three days. I like the season as much as anyone but really, if I have to hear about 'tales of the glory of Christmases long, long ago" another time, I think I'm going to scream.

Sam smiled. At least he knew now that it was around Christmas time. That would put it in December. The cold in the air and seeing snow on the ground made it likely he wasn't in a Deep South or southwestern state.

As she switched the car radio on the mellow sounds of Kenny G's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" filled the cab. Sam closed his eyes, imaging another time and place and hoping that this year just maybe they'd figure out the retrieval program and he'd be able to have a Christmas like he remembered. The moment didn't last long though. Instead the sound of the music was overridden by the sound of the dispatcher telling them about a woman that had passed out during dinner and was having seizures. An address was transmitted.

Picking up the mic for the two way radio the woman beside him spoke into it. "We're on it. Confirming 2439 Blackstone Drive." Hearing the address confirmed, the woman put on the siren and started towards the house. The ambulance would slow as they came closer to intersections but people were following what they were supposed to and stopping to allow the ambulance to go through and within minutes of the incoming call, the ambulance pulled up in front of the house. Sam followed the woman's lead. He really wished that Al would show up and let him know what Ziggy thought his mission was this time. He couldn't understand what would be keeping his friend.

Moving into the house, they found the woman who they had been called to provide medical care to lying on the sofa, her family rather distraught. During their introduction to the family and the situation, Sam learned that his partner was Rebecca Valents and his first name was Michael. They also learned that this was the first time Melinda Tapaski, the patient, had ever had a seizure.

Sam went over to the woman who was now resting. "Hello Ms. Tapaski. I'm Michael Sanderson. I understand this is the first seizure you've ever had."

"Yes. I…I don't remember much. I was just having Christmas Eve dinner with my family when…" She trailed off looking very confused.

"Your eyes started staring and then you began shaking, Mom. We were really afraid." The words were spoken by a boy of about 10 years old. He looked at Sam. "Is she going to be alright Mr. Sanderson?"

Sam could relate to her confusion when she couldn't remember anything. "Well, we'll have to take her to the hospital and let the doctors there determine that, but one seizure doesn't mean there will necessarily be more," the time traveler answered knowing that there was a fine line to walk when providing medical information. Still, unnecessary worry was never good. He also noted that he now knew the day he'd leapt into if not the year and again wondered where his holographic friend was.

The stress on Mrs. Tapaski's and her son's faces both lessened. Over the next few minute, Sam performed the basic exam he needed to do prior to moving her as Rebecca obtained further information that would be needed by the doctors at the emergency room. Before long they'd secured Ms. Tapaski and transferred her to the ambulance, letting the family know which hospital they'd take her to.

Thirty minutes later they were back out on the street and driving their route. Sam had learned in filling out the paperwork that it was 1997 and that Martin Falls was in central Pennsylvania. He'd been sure that Al would arrive while he was at the hospital but still his best friend hadn't appeared.

He and Rebecca exchanged small talk about simple things although he'd had to keep his responses rather vague. Then Rebecca changed the topic to a more specific nature. "So, Michael, what plans do you and Terry have for tomorrow?"

Sam wasn't sure who Terry was and what the relationship was. He was beginning to become annoyed that Al hadn't seen fit to appear and help him with the basic information he needed. While he'd been doing fine up to now, this question had the potential of being problematic. He decided to continue with vague. "Um…I'm not really sure."

Rebecca sounded incredulous, her face mirroring that emotion. "You've known the schedule for the past two weeks. I would have thought Terry would have all your plans laid out in triplicate by this point."

"Why would you say that?" Sam asked, wanting to understand the nature of the response.

"Just that Terry always plans things out to the 'nth' degree. I don't think he understands the concept of spontaneity. You two couldn't be more different." She sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like you and your brother are identical twins. I guess being fraternal you're just as different from Terry as you are from John."

"Yeah. Terry and I are just like any other brothers," Sam answered noncommittally.

"Well, I guess there's a first for everythi…" In mid-sentence, another call came over the radio. This time Sam picked up the transmitter and provided the ambulance information to the dispatcher. Learning that this time the call was for a man who had slipped on the ice and likely had broken his leg based on the report, the ambulance once again went into speed mode.

Reaching their destination, the two of them went through the same type of information gathering while also providing first treatment to the man, Servi Voslonich. Once they had him stable and into the ambulance, Rebecca aimed the ambulance once more towards the hospital while Sam tended to the man he'd learned was a Russian immigrant. He found that his skills as a physician were on par with what they'd been when he'd been interning at the hospital in Massachusetts those many years ago. He figured that perhaps God, Fate, Time, or whoever that was leaping him around was assuring that his abilities would meet whatever assignment he was on.

Once they arrived back to the medical facility they transferred the man to the hospital staff and again went to the ambulance. Once again, Sam wondered where Al might be. It started him thinking about his leaping. He wondered what year the project was in and how long he'd actually been traveling along the string of his life. He felt it had been while since he'd been home but couldn't quite remember specifics. It was during this musing that they received another call, this time to the site of an automobile accident.

Arriving at the scene, Sam initially felt an adrenaline rush to help the victims but soon relearned the hard way that not every person an EMT treats is going to make it. The accident had been a head on collision and although both Sam and his partner did everything they could, both victims were pronounced dead and all that could be done was to remove the dead bodies to the morgue after receiving the coroner's release.

Although both of them had experienced deaths like this before, Sam during his internship and Rebecca as an EMT, neither were jaded enough not to feel the pain of the loss. Sam especially felt that if only he'd known about the accident, he could have stopped it and neither person would have lost their life. Yet again, he questioned Al's failure to appear.

"Michael, would you drive to the morgue?" They'd just completed the transfer of the bodies to the back of the ambulance.

"Yeah. Sure," he answered, quietly. He could tell that Rebecca was feeling pretty down as well. He wasn't worried about finding the morgue as he'd had the chance to examine a map in the ambulance while at the hospital before and his photographic memory had committed the streets to memory. Several key locations had been marked on the map including the location of the county morgue.

They got into their vehicle and started towards their destination. They were stopped at the fourth intersection that had shown a red light at approach when the light turned green. Sam started to put his foot on the accelerator when the Imaging Chamber door opened partway in front of him. There was only a small opening but Al had wedged his head through the small space. "SAM! STOP! Don't move! Stay where you are!" He looked haggard and frightened at the same time.

Following his friend's order Sam put his foot on the break, simultaneously crying out, "Al!" As he did so, a large green Suburban flew by coming from the left, obviously over the speed limit by a significant amount.

"What!" Rebecca called out. Surprised and angered by the driver of the vehicle that would likely have plowed into the cab of the ambulance and killed Michael and perhaps herself. She pulled the mic to the radio over to her and called in the speeding truck to the police. "Don't these people get it?" she cried out after she'd finished reporting the incident. "We have two people dead that we're taking to the morgue. I don't want there to be another."

Sam, blinked, his heart pounding. He realized just how close he'd, or his host, had been to dying. He swallowed tightly and looked at his friend in the future. "Where have you been?"

Rebecca tilted her head, "I'm sorry Michael. I guess I'd been thinking about that last accident that I didn't notice the Suburban coming. I would have warned you if I did."

Al, knowing Sam was talking to him, continued to pry the opening of the door wider. "We're having some technical difficulties. The damned door to the Imaging Chamber wouldn't open. We've been trying for several hours and finally got it open. I'm sorry, Kid. I would have been here earlier if I could have been."

Hearing Al's explanation, Sam nodded. "Ok. It just would have been good to know this was going to happen."

"Yeah." Rebecca answered. "Why did you hit the brakes like you did if you didn't see it?"

"I was trying, Sam. When we saw that Michael had died during the originally history, I wanted in here so bad, I was willing to take a torch to the door, but Gooshie said that might damage the optical properties of the meson link and he might not be able to center on you. I figured it was better to wait."

"I…um…must have seen it out of my peripheral vision," Sam covered as he looked over at Rebecca.

"Well, it's a good thing your eyes are so good." She paused. "You want me to drive now?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I can drive. I'm glad I have an angel watching over me," he said, answering her and Al at the same time.

"You can say that again!" Rebecca replied.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. As Rebecca interacted with the personnel at the morgue, Sam stayed behind in the ambulance saying he want to check the kits again. During the time he was there, he and Al talked.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you, Al."

Al had calmed down during the drive as well. "I don't like cutting things that close, Kid."

"Me neither." He waited a beat and then asked, "So this is why I was here? To save my host?"

"Well, that's what Ziggy projected," Al said giving the handlink a whack. "Now she says she's just not sure. The timeline looks fixed to her."

"I'm almost afraid to have you leave and then not get back in but I need you to go back and see if you can help Ziggy. It must be something else."

"What must be something else?" Rebecca asked as she walked up to Sam. "Who were you talking to?"

Al answered, "Yeah…me too but I need to help Gooshie with this one." He left through the previously inoperable door.

Sam, caught once again talking to the air, answered sheepishly, "No one. I was just using a…a memory technique."

"You planning on having a double major? Philosophy and psychology?"

"Um, no," Sam answered, and then tried to turn their focus on the job and not on his. "We probably need to get out there again."

"Yeah." she replied, still looking at her partner somewhat strangely.

They had been on the road only a few moments when another call came in. A woman had gone into labor early. Since she'd had six children already, the delivery had started quickly and without much prior warning. The husband had called in to say that their car had been used by his oldest to take all the children to church. Since he'd just left, he'd had no choice but to call for an ambulance. Sam took note of the street address and started towards it the fastest way.

When they arrived, they found the woman in active labor. They also quickly learned there was a problem. Rebecca had performed the initial examination and came back to Sam, a worried look on her face. "The baby is breach, Michael." She paused. "I've never handled this type of call before."

Sam had delivered two babies when he'd been an intern. One of them had been a breach. Now that experience was being called into play. "Don't worry, I have."

Rebecca's head tilted. "When?" she asked.

"Well, I um…" Sam started, not sure what to say.

"Tell her it was while you were in the Peace Corps," Al said, as he walked back in, again at an opportune time.

Sam looked at his friend gratefully and passed on the information.

"Good! I'm glad one of us has that skill."

Sam went in and was able to turn the baby and the child was born quickly thereafter. Rebecca helped the woman, Emily Yuttins, to get prepare to be taken to the ER for checkup. Sam, meanwhile, held the newborn, wrapped in a blue blanket. The father was trying to contact his family at their church.

"He's beautiful, Al. Such a perfect little life."

"Yeah. He'll be a heartbreaker, that one."

"So, have you figured out why I'm here?" Sam questioned, unconsciously rocking the boy.

"You're holding him." He pulled out the handlink. "In the original history, Michael was killed by that truck. He wasn't around to take this call and the delay in getting a different ambulance to the scene caused the situation to worsen. Both the mother and that child died."

Blinking, Sam was about to say something when Rebecca walked in. "We're ready."

"Yeah. We'd better get going."

Rebecca nodded but then told him, "You know, you did that really well. Maybe you should go into obstetrics."

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"Well, get sure, Michael. Two people are alive right now because of you."

Sam smiled. "All in a day's work. I'd say that Christmas came a little early for this family, that's all."

The handlink beeped. Al read it quickly. "Well, that interesting. Michael Sanderson goes on to finish his medical training. He becomes an obstetrician. Ain't that a kick in the butt? " As he looked up he saw that the world around him had morphed back to the Imaging Chamber walls.

"Merry Christmas, Sam. Where ever you are," voiced Al, before walking back out the chamber, ready to help his friend wherever he landed.

QL/FINIS\QL

Merry Christmas, 2008.


End file.
